A thought to share with my Christian brothers and sisters on DU:

[blondeatlast]

Some of you have felt rather hated and even persecuted at DU lately--I get that.

Now, imagine having the shadow of that feeling always in your life; knowing that some people loathe you and carry that rage against you even if they don't know you personally. A great many of our DU brothers and sisters deal with that shadow every day of their lives--and those that want them to feel that way often act (falsely) in the name of Christ.

Would Jesus fire off an equally angry, hateful response? Would he feel angry or defensive? Would he feel the need to disallow a little mockery (even if some of it is quite hurtful at times)?

I think He'd turn the other cheek or try to heal. I think that I'm going to try to do the same and if it gets to be too much, just take a nice walk :hi:

[Bluenorthwest]

1. Jesus gave his opinion on this. Very famous. Beatitudes and all.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Matthew 5:1-12 KJV

It seems this is among the rejected teachings.

[aquart]

2. Still sounds like offering a bribe to me.

[Joe the Revelator]

3. Agreed

[joshcryer]

6. So parents who tell their bullied kids that when they grow up they'll be special...

...is bribing them? Telling gay kids that "it gets better" if they just stick it out is "bribing them"? Really now, I fully appreciate the promise of "heaven" but let's not pretend it's significantly different.

[roguevalley]

14. No. He is telling people that the reward in your heart will be honored

in heaven.

Frankly, I am just sick of being associated with assholes. These people are no more Christian than a chair.

And if one is to be flamed for association with them which all the pile oners have done on all the millions of threads out there, how about this?

If I as a believer am as deluded, etc. (fill in the hate shit that pleases you here _________. I can probably find the thread that it was actually said given time) then all the science afficionadoes and rationalists are as joined at the hip as the Japanese scientists who experimented on people during WWII and Mengele and all the rest. If we have to bear the stupidity of the wackos because we are believers, then scientifically minded, etc have to bear Mengele and all the rest.

I frankly don't care what anyone believes. That's a choice people make. But I don't attack atheists or science geeks or the like. And I do believe its reasonable that if I can be tarred for the dipshits in my personal spiritual path even if I don't have a thing in common with them at all, it would seem reasonable that all the bullshitters in science and the like are the monkey on that groups back. I do remember reading an article a few years ago in the Anchorage Daily News about a famous scientist that was visiting, one involved in the atomic bomb program who wanted to flood northern Alaska and the native villages with radiation to 'see what it does' to people. He wasn't allowed to but he wanted to. They asked him, "WTF?" He had no qualms. None. Do it and see what happens because its all about science and some such shit. Like genetically altered food.

Can't have it both ways but I am sure someone will try. :)

IMHO.

[trueblue2007]

7. EXCELLENT. i have not posted here because i won't stand the ridicule. i just read & shake my head

at all the name calling and ugliness. thanks for your inspiring post.


Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Matthew 5:1-12 KJV

[Party Line]

8. I don't want to wait for your fictitious heaven

I want to be treated properly now.

[blondeatlast]

9. Edit: self-delete. nt

[roguevalley]

15. we all do. I don't believe in heaven and I treat people right. Why

is that so hard for some to believe? All or nothing in the minds of too many. Sad all the way around. Judge not lest ye also be judged. Good words for anyone.

[calimary]

17. I have NEVER EVER heard any of these holier-than-thou types or evangelicals or

other assorted buy-bull thumpers quote a single word of The Beatitudes. EVER. They only seem to know the Bible as far as Leviticus and that's it. I also have never found "Blessed are the war-makers" or "Blessed are the bullies," or "Blessed are the rich" in the Beatitudes. But I did notice one passage about a rich guy who was told it's easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich guy to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Nothing about abortions or being gay in the New Testament that I could ever find. But TONS of stuff about helping and being mindful of the poor. I think it was something involving "the least of My brethren..." or some such thing.

[seabeyond]

4. ya. i get it. i get the anger. my kids are in fundie belt. they face it regularly, yet still....

as kids even, they can always express and give a countering opinion.... respectfully. they have never needed to be ugly. and they are often declared not christian enough, adn still, they dont need to be ugly. they have been told they are going to hell because of who they stand up for adn STILL they dont have to be ugly.

i expect more out of adults, than kids.

and i dont see duers as these offensive christians.

[blondeatlast]

5. k

[Fumesucker]

10. Today was unique really..

We had an exaggerated version of the Rapture belief that quite a few Christians subscribe to be proven completely false in front of the entire world and particularly the online world.

The guy has done it before but that was before the blogosphere really took off, it was different today.

It really was impossible for a lot of people to hold back the snark, I know I tried not to post anything I thought genuinely hurtful to other DUers but my tendency is toward snark at the best of times, I was raised in a family where biting wit was and is an art form.

[blondeatlast]

11. I sympathize; I was raised in the same kind of environment.

My dad was even a longtime church elder and really had to struggle to hold his wit at times.

I have had plenty of fun at Reverend Camping's expense--but I feel sympathy for those who were mercifully conned by the slime.

[Fumesucker]

12. It doesn't help that I spent time in the service and worked a lot of construction too..

You learn the best defense is an overwhelming verbal offense pretty quickly in either capacity, the banter can be pretty hard to turn off once it gets cranked up.

I was lucky, my dad didn't aim his wit at us kids or mom that much but any target he chose to focus on thoroughly regretted it.

Agreed, I do feel sympathy for those who were conned but it's kind of combined with a little disgust that at least some of them were excited to see the rest of humanity suffer.

[johnnie]

13. My stupid thoughts...

I was raised a Christian (Catholic) but I am far from that now. I have my own beliefs and they are what they are and I don't give a shit if people think I'm nuts or not. I am not a Christian, but I respect Christian's beliefs.

In what I have seen here in the last 8 or 9 years is that DU supports attacks on the Christian beliefs and would delete a post that said something like "Wiccans are funny as hell...boil boil toil and trouble and all". Or if there were ever a thread commenting that the "American Indian should stick their animal guides in their shamanistic ass", it would be blown to DU hell in seconds.

I saw a post today from someone that was a so-called atheist and they said they have been ridiculed as much as Christians..lol. I have never seen that here, but maybe I am wrong.

As I said, I am not a Christian, but it's obvious that the basher can get away with it a lot more than any other belief here.

I used to brag about DU, but after a few years on here I'll never donate again and I think this place is not a place to feel that, as a progressive, you have a voice.

I think the large donaters get to say what they want and the "little people" can go kick mud.

I was called a liar over and over again one time and I alerted on all the posts and nothing was done. I called someone "mouth" and it was deleted in less than a minute. No need to get into it, I can just say that if you think that trying to speak up because you feel that your Christian beliefs get shit on...forget it. Any other belief here is fine..just don't think you would ever get respect here.

There are very few Du people here that were here when I joined. There is a reason. I am one of the last ones from the group I "hung out" with because I still believed in this place. Not much anymore. I'll still come here until I get kicked out, but until then...

Don't try to speak up here about your religious (or lack there of) beliefs, don't question the "official story", don't say you support the Democratic President even though he may make mistakes (which means more that he is working politics the way it has always been but many people here have no clue about politics), don't say anything about men, don't say anything about women, don't say anything about "alternative" lifestyles (unless you feel that all people are born with the innate understanding of all things), don't support cops, the military, the anti-military, the protestors or the couch-potatoes.

Do your best not to go against the members with thousands of posts, but make sure you dig into the posters with less than a thousand. When a member here asks something that may go against the "progressive" view, make sure that you wait a bit until a few "old-timers" jump their shit and then pile on. There's no need to discuss it with any intelligence...as long as a few here shit on the poster, it's a good idea to join in.

These are fragmented thoughts and I could go on, but this will probably be gone soon.

I had band practice tonight and had a few drinks, but this is really a bit of what I think this place has become.

BTW, please donate. I think the owners of this site truly mean the best. I think that if you are going to spend time here and use their site it is only right to donate to them. I have done it almost every quarter since 2003. I have also bought many people some stars. I used to think it was worth it.

Good thing you all weren't raptured..have a good day. :)

[roguevalley]

16. You have a good day too. Tomorrow is another day indeed.